Bayless slides into a perfect situation

It was only 65 minutes, but to Jerryd Bayless, it must have felt like an eternity.

For weeks, nearly every mock draft had the former Arizona stand-out listed somewhere in the top five. Just hours before the NBA draft, Bayless even worked out with the Miami Heat—proud owners of the No. 2 overall pick.

At 4:30 p.m., Derrick Rose kicked things off. Michael Beasley soon followed.

Fellow Pac-10 guards OJ Mayo and Russell Westbrook heard their names called. Meanwhile, Bayless sat with his family and closest friends in his expensive cream-colored suit, hoping he wouldn’t have to wait much longer.

However, another Pac-10 foe in Kevin Love went to Memphis at No. 5. The Knicks went Italian with Danilo Gallinari. The Clippers, in desperate need of backcourt help, tabbed Eric Gordon over Bayless.

Joe Alexander. DJ Augustin. Brook Lopez. Still no sign of Bayless.

With the top-10 now over, the Bayless family finally exhaled as the Indiana Pacers would stop the slide at No. 11.

Just 40 minutes later, Bayless would find out first-hand that basketball is now a business. Before he could break in his Pacers hat, he had been traded (along with former ASU stand-out Ike Diogu) to the Portland Trail Blazers for Brandon Rush (the No. 13 pick) and Jarrett Jack.

“I found out about the trade after walking back to do more media,” Bayless told ESPN’s Andy Katz. “I didn’t know I’d be left for this long, but I’m excited to go in and contribute for a good team.”

Even though he never worked out for Portland, general manager Kevin Pritchard obviously liked what he saw in Bayless—a potentially game-changing guard with explosive scoring ability.

No freshman in Arizona history has ever scored as many points in a season as Bayless’ 592. Additionally, he became the first player in Arizona history to score 30 or more points in three consecutive games when he accomplished the feat Feb. 10-16.

Aran Smith, President of NBADraft.net, had Bayless ranked as the No. 3 prospect of the 2008 draft class. He believes Portland got the steal of the draft and expects the former Wildcat to establish himself as a key cog in the Trail Blazers’ quest toward playoff contention.

“No question Portland got the steal of the draft by trading up for Bayless,” Smith said. “I was blown away that Augustin ended up going ahead of Bayless. Watch out for Portland. That team is a dynasty in the making.”

Bayless was the centerpiece of Portland’s draft. The Blazers also snagged Kansas’ Darrell Arthur at pick No. 27 and Memphis’ Joey Dorsey in the second round.

This impressive rookie class will join former Rookie of the Year Brandon Roy, the 2007 No. 1 pick Greg Oden, LaMarcus Aldridge, Spanish import Rudy Fernandez and fellow Wildcat Channing Frye to form one of the NBA’s most exciting young rosters.

Unlike at UA, Bayless won’t need to shoulder the offensive load. The 19-year-old Phoenix native will be given the opportunity to learn on the job.

“Bayless gives Portland a young, athletic guard with both the ability to come in and be a dynamic scorer, plus the potential to improve considerably,” Smith said.

Bayless becomes Arizona’s ninth lottery pick since 1989. As the 11 th overall pick, Bayless will earn $1,661,300 in his rookie season and $1,785,900 next year guaranteed.

Even though his draft-night slide cost him a significant amount of guaranteed money, Smith believes it worked out for the best.

“I really think landing in such a great situation is a great thing for him,” Smith said. “He may have gone through 65 minutes of torture, but it will all be worth it when Portland becomes a perennial power.”

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